Isn’t it Romantic Review

Romantic Comedies by nature are some of the most formulaic movies around. That is one of the reasons people have loved them so much throughout the years, because you know when you leave the theater you will have a smile on your face. In recent years though the genre felt like it was dying, until a sudden boon in the last year. Movies like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Crazy Rich Asians, and Set it Up have reinvigorated the Rom Com game and now Isn’t it Romantic came along to try and change the dynamics.

Isn’t it Romantic is directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson and is about Natalie (Rebel Wilson) who grew up loving rom coms, but turned sour on them because she believes they are not real life. Some shenanigans ensue, and she bonks her head and wakes up in a world that is basically a Romantic Comedy (she jokes and its PG-13!) Throughout the story she learns that she does not need a man to be happy (even though she ends with a man) and life can be enjoyed when you love yourself.

The entire movie is trying to satirize every Rom-Com trope, while still performing those tropes throughout the movie. Hating the other woman co worker at her job, having someone way out of your league fall for you, numerous dance scenes (that come out of nowhere), and of course the gay best friend who helps her along the way.

Stock Up/Stock Down

Stock up – Liam Hemsworth was a revelation for me in this movie. The only thing I had ever seen him in was the Hunger Games movies, and he did not have much to do in those. He was hysterical in every scene he was in during this, and I look forward to whatever he does next.

Stock Down – I hate saying this but Rebel Wilson in my mind is not a movie star yet. She seems to have one schtick (the Fat Amy schtick) and other than that she does not have another tool. After a small part in Bridesmaids and then the Pitch Perfect breakout role I had extremely high hopes for her to become a Melissa McCarthy type, but it just has not seemed to happen for me.

Stock Neutral – Adam Devine is still working his way up through the ranks in my mind. He is still more of a Rom-Com guy for now, you just do not want to turn into Hugh Grant, so hopefully he can get something more interesting soon.

Devine and Rebel though do have great chemistry in whatever they are in, and this was no exception.

Even with all of the Satire this movie still falls into many of the tropes that it is making fun of. Maybe that was by Strauss-Schulson’s design, but perhaps it just comes with the territory of making a Rom-Com. This is not a perfect movie at all but it will make you laugh and smile, and at the end of the day that is all that matters with these types of movies.